Monday, 23 December 2013

In Session with Duncan – Thursday 19th December 2013.

'In Session' with Duncan

Venue – Badshot Lea Big Pond.

Controlling club – Farnham Angling
Society.

Anyone that’s
fished the Helicopter rig at Badshot Lea Big Pond in early spring
will know just how good this method is and the exceptional fishing
that can be had. I fished this with fellow Nash angler Stuart Jupp
back in April and that day fishing around fifty yards out from the
swim that allows the centre of the lake to be reached at the end of
the woods (not the one facing the island) he managed around 80lb of
fish in just a few hours. It was his first ever session on the venue
and the first time he had used the rig in such a delicate fashion yet
with numerous bream, mostly around 4lb along with big hybrids, tench
and the odd net perch he proved that with a little help anyone can
bag up on this method and venue.

Knowing the venue
well and the variety of species it holds should mean it’s a good
winter water so with this in mind I headed out knowing that I needed
to get swim choice spot on. Unfortunately the weather was doing its
best to limit my choice as a storm was brewing and with weather
warnings across the south I knew that my session would have to be cut
short due to sensibility kicking in! On arrival the wind was coming
from the main car park and heading across the lake to the small pond,
a south westerly. The temperature was just seven on arrival and on
the increase, as were the storm clouds and wind. Even before arriving
I knew that the fish in this lake follow the wind so the area to the
right of both pins was my chosen area and the centre of the lake was
where I needed to place my bait, however trying to fish with such a
wind in my face or from the side wasn’t an option so with peg 57
free and with the wind coming from behind this swim was the obvious
answer as well as offering some shelter.

Tactics as
mentioned earlier was the helicopter rig in conjunction with a
groundbait feeder. Red maggots would be squashed within the feeder by
placing groundbait to both ends, creating what’s known as a maggot
sandwich and with two red maggots placed on a size 16 hook and the
use of a three inch hooklink any fish that picked this up would
almost certainly get hooked.

The first item
that needed sorting was the umbrella as the rain had arrived slightly
earlier than forecasted. Having mixed the groundbait up the night
before, wetted down and sieved, and with rods made up it was simply a
case of filling the feeder and punching this out in the general
direction of the island some sixty yards, something made easy by the
strength of the wind. With both rods out it was a case of working the
swim as best I could in such conditions so every fifteen minutes the
feeders were refilled and cast back out to the same spot as by now
elasticised stop knots had been tied to the mainline and the reels
line clip used.

Forty five minutes past, three casts,
before a couple of bleeps showed that fish were around yet it was
another forty five minutes before the left hand indicator pulled
tight before dropping to the ground resulting in a bream around 5lb.
Over the next three hours four more similar sized bream graced my
net, yet come 1pm it was a case of gritting my teeth, packing up in
torrential rain and gale force winds and heading for shelter, yet
this short exploratory session provided everything that I wanted of
it.

Badshot Lea is a
brilliant early spring venue, however with a little thought and
dedication its also a great winter water, I just wished that the
conditions had allowed me to fish a whole day, however with the banks
deserted it wont be long before l return.

Unfortunately due to the adverse
weather and holiday period I cant see myself getting out before the
New Year, well not to create a weekly ‘In Session’ blog report,
so to all my customers and readers have a great Christmas and here’s
to a rod bending New Year.